Handling a new pest — the right way Although many industry people have voiced concerns about the invasion of American shores by the Q-biotype whitefly, the situation may not be as dire as first thought. The reason is that the floriculture industry took a proactive approach in how to monitor and control this pest, which is now in more than 20 states. The last time there was this much attention paid to a pest was when leaf miners, primarily Liriomyza trifolii, threatened to undermine the livelihood of flower growers nationwide. Initially, Bemisia tabaci Q-biotype was considered to be the next major pest to hit not only our industry, but other ag commodities as well. That thinking has been tempered somewhat, according to University of California entomologist Jim Bethke, because of the cooperative and educational efforts of university researchers, government officials and industry associations. Speaking at this year's Society of American Florists' Pest Management Conference, Bethke said the concern for the Q-biotype was so significant when it was first identified that leaders of the threatened cotton, vegetable and ornamentals industries formed the National Ad Hoc Whitefly Taskforce. This organization has members from these three industries and is facilitated by officials from USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. After the Q-biotype was discovered in Arizona in December 2004, Bethke said industry representatives met with members of the scientific community and federal and state regulatory officials in April 2005. From this meeting came the taskforce, which then formed the Q-Biotype Technical Advisory Committee. This committee includes scientists from the affected industries and is co-chaired by entomologists Lance Osborne at University of Florida and Tim Dennehy at University of Arizona. Quashing the Q When the Q-biotype was first identified in the United States, California nurseries -- considered to be the source of the pest -- were quarantined. Those quarantines have since been rescinded. Based on efforts by the Whitefly Taskforce and Technical Advisory Committee, Bethke said APHIS officials made the decision not to attempt to regulate the Q-biotype. Funding to study which chemicals can control the Q-biotype is provided by the Floriculture and Nursery Research Initiative and IR-4. The good news is that commercially labeled products can control this pest. Bethke said the less chemical spray applications that are made, the less likely the Q-biotype will develop resistance. He said it is critical to change controls every 25-26 days, which is the pest's life cycle. SAF and American Nursery & Landscape Association worked with researchers to develop a best-control solutions document. A whitefly Web site has been created to provide the latest information about the Q-biotype, including research findings and controls. The worst thing that could happen in our industry or any other ag industry is for growers to become complacent. Growers need to be vigilant and continue to monitor crops and properly identify the whiteflies in their facilities. Following that, they need to apply the proper controls at the right rates to the specific life cycle stage present. The proactive approach taken by our industry to identify and control the Q-biotype could become the working model for how to handle the increasing number of pests being introduced into the United States. Send this article to a friend Enter your e-mail address: Enter your friend's e-mail address: Click the image below to send: © 2006 Branch-Smith Publishing